Nigeria is increasingly grappling with severe heat waves due to climate change, urbanization, and environmental degradation. In 2025, NiMet had forecast ongoing heatwaves nationwide, with certain areas reaching temperatures up to 42 degrees Celsius.
Extreme heat increases health risks, especially for vulnerable groups such as older adults and those living in substandard housing. To safeguard Nigeria’s healthcare system, the government should adopt a Heat Action Plan (HAP), upgrade facilities, and integrate climate change considerations into the medical curriculum.
One key measure is for the government to develop a national heat action plan (HAP). Despite being one of the countries most disproportionately affected by climate change, Nigeria does not have such a plan. Incorporating HAP into the National Adaptation Strategy and Plan of Action on Climate Change for Nigeria (NASPA-CCN) would greatly reduce the rising health and infrastructure risks posed by heat waves.
The HAP should include awareness campaigns, sector coordination, and training for healthcare workers. The plan should also support urban planning, cooling centers, and heat risk reduction. Together, these measures will reduce heat exposure, illness and deaths. The HAP should be implemented locally by the state ministries of health, particularly in states vulnerable to heat-related health issues, such as central and northern regions.
Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure requires a structural shift. Only about twenty percent of the approximately 34,000 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) are functional. The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare needs to upgrade the existing PHCs urgently.
The upgrade should involve incorporating heat-mitigating designs and renewable energy sources to ensure uninterrupted healthcare delivery during extreme heat events. PHCs, as frontline responders, are essential in addressing climate-induced health challenges. Adequate and well-trained healthcare professionals are also key to increasing capacity and handling emergencies effectively.
Moreover, integrating climate change into medical education is crucial. The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and the National Universities Commission should collaborate to include climate change in the medical education curriculum.
Nigeria’s medical education curriculum does not adequately address climate change issues for resilience in preventing and responding to climate-related health risks. Ensuring healthcare workers are better equipped to recognize, prevent, and manage climate-related health issues enhances overall system resilience.
Around the world, top medical institutions now have courses on climate change in their curricula. A growing number of institutions are following suit because they recognize climate change’s increasing impact on public health. Common methods include stand-alone modules, electives, workshops, and modifying existing core curricula to include climate change and health components.
Nigeria must uphold health rights by developing a HAP, enhancing healthcare infrastructure, and integrating climate change into medical education. These measures are indispensable towards building a healthcare system resilient to climate-induced stresses.
Abiodun Salako is a writing fellow at African Liberty. He tweets via @i_amseawater.
Article first appeared in The Nation.
Photo by AMISOM via Iwaria.